POSITION POSTING
TITLE:
Technology Operations Manager
DEPARTMENT:
Technology
REPORTS TO:
Director of Technology
DATE:
May 1, 2017
BACKGROUND
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation was established in the mid-1960s by the late
entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman. Based in Kansas City,
Missouri, the Kauffman Foundation is among the largest foundations in the United
States with an asset base of approximately $2 billion.
The Foundation’s vision is to foster "a society of economically independent individuals
who are engaged citizens, contributing to the improvement of their communities." In
service of this vision, we focus our grant making and operations on two areas—
education and entrepreneurship—which our founder, Ewing Kauffman, saw as two
ends of a continuum. A quality education is the foundation for self-sufficiency, preparing
young people for success in college and in life. Many young adults will work in
businesses started by entrepreneurs. Some will become entrepreneurs themselves,
providing jobs and wealth for society.
Our mission:
To help individuals attain economic independence by advancing educational
achievement and entrepreneurial success, consistent with the aspirations of our
founder, Ewing Marion Kauffman.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The Technology Operations Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the
Technology Department which includes insuring that the Foundation’s core technology
services are stable and reliable; executing strategic initiatives and providing excellent
internal customer service.
•
Lead a high performing service desk team. Incorporate operational excellence
standards and measurements into daily operations to continually improve
performance.
•
Oversee and manage the day-to-day operations of the Foundation’s core
strategic platforms, e.g., Web, Data, Constituent Engagement.
•
Implement and manage key IT processes: change, problem, project and
capacity management.
•
Manage the development and compliance of IT Standards and Practices.
•
Manage and continuously improve information security and integrity solutions.
•
Execute technology strategies aligned with Foundation strategy. Provide
technology expertise to individual Foundation groups, departments, and
affiliates to assist with technology direction, needs identification and solution
advice.
•
Execute technology plans and priorities as directed with IT best practices and
internal requirements. Implement and manage projects related to current and
future technology solutions.
•
Maintain effective communications with internal and external customers regarding
IT capabilities and strategy.
•
Ensure technology initiatives and projects have appropriate project
management structure, development methods, and lifecycle management
processes. Ensure work is completed within expected time, budget, and
success requirements.
•
Manage external vendors to meet service level agreement and technology
goals of the Foundation including timeline and budget objectives. Negotiate
and manage the acquisition, support, and maintenance of technology-related
vendor agreements.
•
Measure, report and make recommendations on key performance
metrics related to the effectiveness and efficiency of IT and associated
initiatives and projects.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Education:
A bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, engineering,
business administration or related field or equivalent experience is required.
Work Experience:
Minimum five years of experience in information technology operations leadership
related positions.
The successful candidate will be a service-oriented, hands-on manager who has a
strong foundation in IT infrastructure, software development, applications, relationship
management, project management, and customer support. The ideal candidate will
be a self-directed and highly motivated individual who works collaboratively within a
team culture and thrives in an environment of multiple demands, shifting priorities,
and constant change.
A successful candidate profile:
•
Experience supporting the following technologies is required, all of which are in
use at the Foundation:
 Active Directory, Windows Server, Linux, LAN / WiFi, Mac and PC clients,
backup / recovery, Security tools (Firewall, AV/AS/AM, VPN, etc) Hyper-V
and/or VMware, Azure and/or AWS, Microsoft Office Online, Internet Platform
and application support, network services (DNS, DHCP, etc.,) Powershell or
unix scripting
•
Experience supporting the following technologies is preferred, which are or may
be in use in the future:
 LAMP, Wordpress / Drupal, MDM, puppet/chef/ansible, SDLC and CI, Agile
project management, Kanban, Redshift
•
Demonstrated customer-service / business partner mentality with a track record of
building strong, trusting and collaborative relationships. Ability to maintain a calm
and competent demeanor amid changing demands and priorities.
•
Proven ability enabling business success through the appropriate use of IT.
•
A track record of managing and prioritizing multiple projects to ensure successful
completion and issue resolution on-time and on-budget.
•
Excellent knowledge of technology environments including, applications,
infrastructure and operations technologies, communications, networks, and
security. Demonstrated experience with commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) on
premise and cloud applications is required, particularly in migration and
development of cloud technologies.
•
Broad knowledge of IT architectures, methodologies, processes and tools along
with disciplined project and financial management skills. Experience with IT
frameworks such as ITIL, COBIT, Agile, etc.
•
Experience with evaluation and business justification of IT products and services in
support of enterprise operations, programs, and initiatives.
•
Excellent problem solving and analytical skills and ability to frame issues clearly for
less technical colleagues and customers.
•
Excellent ability to get things done including the ability to persuade, encourage,
motivate, and develop others.
•
A bright and creative mind with highly developed interpersonal skills, quantitative
analytical abilities, and superior communication skills (written and oral).
•
Must be impeccably honest and ethical. A successful manager with a keen sense
of responsibility and commitment to maintain confidentiality and embody the
values of the Foundation.
Travel:
This position may require up to 10% business travel.
COMPENSATION
A competitive compensation package, including base salary and an outstanding
benefits package will correspond to the experience level, credentials, and personal
characteristics of the candidate.
NON-DISCRIMINATION
The Kauffman Foundation firmly supports the principle and philosophy of equal
opportunity for all individuals, regardless of age, race, gender, creed, national origin,
disability, veteran status or any other protected category pursuant to applicable federal,
state or local law.
TO APPLY
Send your resume, along with a cover letter directly to [email protected].